The internet has transformed our lives and brought many
benefits. However, there is a danger that a small minority
will try to exploit and abuse others.
It's easy to pretend you are someone you are not on the internet
and this can encourage some people to make up things up about
themselves, even passing off someone else's face as their own. It
can be hard to decide what is, especially as you cannot see the
person. This is why you should be careful not to give information
about yourself, your family or friends.
These are some of the risks:-
- Bullying, abuse or hate campaigns via email or the
internet
- Exposure to inappropriate material
- inaccurate or misleading information
- Internet grooming where someone deliberately aims to befriend a
child or young person in order to prepare them for abuse.
Some hints to be wise on the internet
- Always stay in public areas of a chat room. Read the chat room
guidelines on how to block someone or to report abuse. Remember,
you don’t have to talk to anyone you don’t want to.
- Be careful that any picture or video you share on the interent
can be used or changed by someone else for their purposes.
- Delete junk mail and do not respond to it.
- Don't give out information such as your name, address or
photographs that could be used to identify you.
- Never meet a stranger you have responded to on the internet
without an adult.
- On social networking sites such as Facebook make sure you
understand what your security settings are as this can affect
who can access details about you
- Only open an attachment in an email or download a file
from a known person or organisation as they may contain computer
viruses or spyware. .
- Remember people can very easily lie about themselves so do not
trust everything you see or read on the internet.
- Stay in public areas of a chat room. Read the chat room
guidelines on how to block someone or to report abuse. Remember,
you don’t have to talk to anyone you don’t want to.
What is CEOP?
CEOP stands for the Child Exploitation and
On-line Protection Centre. It is an organisation that aims to
prevent the on-line exploitation of children. They have a
dedicated thinkyouknow
website. You will see on some websites a CEOP panic button to
report or get advice on suspected internet abuse. Young
people who are Facebook users will now have the opportunity
to download, add, or bookmark the CEOP button onto their
homepage.
Useful websites
The thinkyouknow website.
Read about on-line safety at
direct.gov
A website to help young people find out about internet security
called sorted
Chatdanger are true stories and
help about remaining safe whilst chatting online.